PART II, Much MORE Evidence... Isaac Sherwood's father, Thomas, the immigrant aboard the "Francis" 1634 (no, Isaac is not also listed), according to Schenk, p. 408-11, first appears on Fairfield land records by a1648 sale of Stamford land to John Holly (Holly also had extensive interests in RYE, ...holding several commissions from CT Colony regarding Rye specifically, per Baird). Thomas Sherwood d. 1655 & his widow Mary (d. 1693) m. John Banks (d. 1684), the mysterious, yet ever-so-present home-owner at both Fairfield and Rye at once (Schenk). According to Baird: "In 1668, John Coe sold to Stephen Sherwood [of Thomas Sherwood's line, per Schenk] his 'house and housing and home-lot, upon the north end of Manussing Island [this is in Rye, as first purchased by Peter Disbrow 1660].' The Coes, Sherwoods, and Vowles were the principal owners in 1707, when Jonathan Vowles conveyed his share of lands in that locality to his son-in-law, Roger Park." (Baird, p 31) ..."In 1680, he [Stephen Sherwood] bought the remainder of the north neck of Manussing Island--forty six acres--from John Banks, senior." (Baird, p 441) Recall too that Sherwood Island State Park (which I visit often to take pictures of a much wilder Westport, still surprisingly preserved, perhaps not so very different from 300 years ago!) is, itself, immediately across the Mill Pond, at present day Westport, CT, from our Disbrow ancestors' Compo. The land of Sherwood Island State Park was once owned by the very same Sherwood clan of Thomas & son Isaac, who also lived so near to our Disbrows at Compo! This brings me to Baird's mention of our own Thomas Disbrow (prob. the younger!) in the 1703 Rye Town Records! He seems to be acting there in a very interesting, "provocative" manner, under stressed religious/political circumstances which I touched on last year in a posting ( Baird, p 291). Can this be any other but my Thomas Disbrow II, son of Thomas Disbrow(e) of Compo and Eltisley manor?? He can hardly be any other, as I discussed then, since the son of this Thomas II, also Thomas, married Jane Sherwood and received lands from his father-in-law, Isaac Sherwood (per Mike Disbrow's 'Disbrow Descendants', vol I, p 57). Baird says of this transaction: "Isaac Sherwood-2, probably son of Isaac-1, was called senior in 1733, when he gave his son Daniel of Ridgefield all his rights to land in Rye. He was then living in Fairfield. In 1765, Isaac Sherwood of Fairfield, perhaps a third Isaac, released to Thomas Disbrow of Fairfield, for FIVE POUNDS [original emphasis], 'all his right to undivided lands both in Rye and in Fairfield;' the former of which may well have become infinitesimal by that time." (p. 441, "History of Rye"). Did the Thomas Disbrow clan also own land in Rye, just like Peter Disbrow up to his death in 1688?? I have NOT yet checked the Rye land records for any early Thomas there, such recs. as still exist, but will do so despite my very little luck with the Westchester Historical Society in a far too expensive last recent request to them! All important to this saga of several generations of Isaac Sherwood, with our THREE Thomas Disbrows, is the fact that an Isaac Sherwood ALSO shows up on the record of our Mercy Disbrow's trial in 1692! He is described as content and happy to visit the parlor of Thomas Disbrow at Compo while discussing Bible passages with our Mercy! From John Taylor's most interesting printed transcript of all, the Edward "Jesop" deposition: ..." at The: Disburrows house at Compoh sometime in ye beginning of last winter in ye evening.....& at ye same time Isaac Sherwood being there & Disburrows wife & hee discoursing concerning a certain place of scripture, & I being of ye same mind that Sherwood was concerning yt place of scripture & Sherwood telling her where ye place was she brought a bible (that was very large print) to me to read ye particular scripture, but tho I had good light & looked ernestly upon it againe when in her hand after she had turned over a few leaves I could see to read it above a yard of [off]...." (p 64, "Witchcraft Delusion in Colonial CT"). Ah yes, we in CT haven't changed a BIT! When trying to score points, if all else fails then bring out the heavy ammo: the encyclopedic printed word itself (Mercy was literate,of course, as were most Puritans to read their innovating printed English Bibles, a new and very privileged experience even then remember!). While Baird suggests that there may have been three Isaac Sherwood gens, can Elizabeth Schenk, in her monumental "History of Fairfield," actually be suggesting that only two were necessary afterall?? She says: " Isaac-2 Sherwood (Thomas-1) married Elizabeth Jackson, dau. of John & Eliz. Jackson before 1676 [the Jackson clan are also worthy of our further careful study!] , when he received grant from town of Eastchester, NY. In 1678 he was of Rye, NY, and in 1687 bought land at Compo, (Westport) Ct., where he was still living in 1733. His children were Daniel-3. Isaac-3, John-3, David-3, Abigail-3, Thomas-3, and Elizabeth-3. " (p 409) Well now, that Eastchester location jumps out immediately as also the very place down the coast-wise Sound from Rye, where our Thomas II married Abigail Godwin. Eastchester is all over the early generational history of the Sherwood family too, including Stephen of Rye (Schenk, p. 409). Finally, for my own "Olde Home Week" I give you the following odd but related two facts from Schenk: "Matthew Sherwood-2 (of Thomas-1), known as Capt. Matthew, died Oct 26, 1715 at Stratfield (Now Bridgeport) Ct., in his 72d year.....Captain Matthew Sherwood married 2nd, Mary FITCH [my emphasis], daughter of Thomas Fitch of Norwalk, Ct." This be none other than the dau. of the brother of my own Rev. James Fitch of Norwalk, who himself was also a friend of Rev. John Eliot &, like him, a pastor/mentor to the Mohegan Indians of eastern CT ( specifically), his son Major James was a benefactor to Yale University, commemorated in an archway there to this day, and their progeny includes the first president of my own alma mater, Rev. Ebenezer Fitch, Williams College, 1793! The Thomas Fitch clan of Norwalk, however, would also produce those later Fitch whom my Capt. Scudder Squires was deeply involved with at Coxsackie, NY (w/ another Fitch there who was earlier from Rev. James' line too!). Now then, Schenk has this second strangely relevant Fitch/Sherwood bit of fact for my increasingly spooky "olde home week," above: "Mary Sherwood-3, dau. of Capt. Matthew Sherwood & Mary Fitch [as above] married 1st, Captain Daniel Fitch, son of Rev. James and Priscilla (MASON [my emphasis!]) Fitch of Norwich, Ct. by whom she had five children....She married 2d, Joseph Bradford, son of Major William and Widow (Wiswall) Bradford, and grandson of Gov. William Bradford [of Plimouth Plantation], by whom she had one child, JOHN [original emphasis] Bradford, born May 20, 1717, at Mohegan; died March 10, 1787. at Montville, Ct. " (Schenk, p. 411). John T. Fitch in his excellent "Descendants of the Rev. James Fitch", vol I, 1996, adds this (p. 19): "After Daniel d., Mary was probably the 'Mary Fitch - widow,' listed at Norwich among persons in full communion, 1714. She m. (2) 25 Feb 1716, (her brother-in-law) [!!] Joseph Bradford, widowed husband of Daniel's younger sister, Anne (Fitch) Bradford, No. 12 below....[AND] Joseph Bradford was the step-brother of Alice (Bradford)-Adams Fitch, the second wife of Anne's older brother James, #2 above...." (Fitch, p 25). My Fitch/Mason forebears, as I've noted elsewhere, liked to keep it all in the family,....but there is a reason here! This is not the first time I have seen evidence for the application in Puritan society of the ancient Mosaic Law of "levirate" (look it up in dictionary!), several times I've now seen this in Puritan New England. I have seen this most recently also in the marriage of Sarah Knapp to, probably, BOTH a John and our Peter Disbrow! But then more, as I say, on that LATER (after I get some 'confirming,' doubtless to be controversial, documents from the Stamford Town Clerk, Sally Serafino (expected momentarily). BTW, this Puritan application of the ancient Mosaic Law of levirate is an original idea of my own, thank you! Now don't get me started on the Jackson family also at Fairfield, or the Robinsons there too, or especially on the WARD family connections at Fairfield (recall "Disbrow Nichols", a name from my recent post, related to this very same Fairfield WARD family, & recall also those "Wards" in the Hobson wills related to the Eltisley Disbrowes!!),...now don't get me started! Don't get me started on how Andrew Ward of this line was asked to go with Capt. John Mason & "Mr. Allen to go to Agawam or Springfield to treat with the Indians of Waronocke concerning the tribute towards the Pequot War..." Or how Andrew Ward and Robert Coe (of Wethersfield) at a Gen. Court held at New Haven, 4 March 1640, were appointed "to treat with that court about the plantation ( lately purchased by said town) called Toquams , or STAMFORD [my mphasis!]." Don't get me started on some other ships in Banks book such as the "Hercules", 1634, with Emma Mason together with a Mrs. Margaret Jones (said there to be the wife of Thomas Jones of Cambridge), or the ship "Elizabeth" also in 1634 with such as the Rayner family (later of Hempstead, LI & my Squires interest), John & Mrs. Cross (Cross surname later at Westchester & in Mercy's trial), John Palmer, John Clarke, Sarah Reynolds (surname noted in the Waters wills we are studying)....So, do you think there may be something going on here then!?? Robert Coe of Wethersfield, by the way, is the same Robert Coe of the ship "Francis" passage, 1634 above, ALONG with everyone else involved in our "Disbrowe Network" aboard that same ship, among other ships too in Banks "The Planters of The Commonwealth"...Getting bored yet? Well, just don't get me started! Hope you enjoyed my "olde home week!" Stephen T. Squires